Support RBI
Publications

The rules that govern the capital markets

Research and commentary from RBI.

Working Paper · July 17, 2026

Rule 14a-8 in Practice: A Descriptive Account from Twenty Interviews

Timothy M. Doyle and Robert G. Eccles

Twenty interviews with issuers, investors, lawyers, academics, and advocacy organizations on how the shareholder proposal process actually works, what it costs, and where participants genuinely disagree. Descriptive by design, with no recommendations.

Open for comment. Open for comment. RBI is seeking substantive feedback on this paper through the summer, particularly on whether and how the rule should be revised and what would follow from rescinding it entirely. Responses will inform RBI's comment letter to the SEC. Please identify your role, for instance issuer, investor, lawyer, academic, or advocacy organization. As with the interviews, no individual will be identified by name. Send comments to tim@rbi-us.org or bob@rbi-us.org.

Papers and articles

Article
September 23, 2025

Fair Corporate Suffrage or Federal Overreach? The 1943 Hearings and Rule 14a-8

Timothy M. Doyle and Robert G. Eccles
Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance
Article
September 18, 2025

How the U.S. is rebalancing shareholder activism

Timothy M. Doyle and Robert G. Eccles
The Reporting Times, No. 27
Article
September 2025

Reinterpreting Rule 14a-8: The SEC’s Renewed Standard for Corporate Purpose and Shareholder Power: Part 1

Timothy M. Doyle and Robert G. Eccles
The Investment Lawyer

Op-eds and commentary

Op-ed
May 29, 2024

When Both the SEC and Congress Fail to Act, Seeking a Judicial Remedy Is Inevitable

Timothy M. Doyle and Robert G. Eccles
RealClearEnergy
Blog
March 12, 2024

The Case for Getting Politics Out of Retirement Investing

Timothy M. Doyle and Rachel Snyderman
Bipartisan Policy Center